Fines, criminal penalties for street racing in Florida might get a little tougher
Over the past few years, Florida’s roadways have become accustomed to the screeching tires and revving engines of illegal street racing. Before this year’s legislative session comes to a close, state lawmakers are trying to crack down on street takeovers.
On March 1, lawmakers in the Florida Senate cheered as they passed legislation that intensifies the penalties for drivers who participate in street or highway racing by increasing fines and turning misdemeanor offenses into felonies.
During last week’s Senate session the sponsor of the bill, South Florida Democrat Jason Pizzo, said in his opening statements about the legislation that as a father, street racing is one of his “biggest fears.”
“They are creating an incredibly dangerous environment, the worst of which is when they take over an entire intersection. It’s happened in all of your districts. Ambulances, fire and police cannot get to the center of the intersection,” said Pizzo to his fellow lawmakers.
Who is affected?
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, between 2018 and 2022, there were 6,641 citations issued for either street racing and stunt driving, or for actively participating as a spectator, with the majority of citations issued to people between 16 and 29 years old.
Senator Danny Burgess, a Republican that represents parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties, said that as a father to young children who will be driving in the future, he was thankful for the bill.
Palm Beach Democrat Bobby Powell recounted his own experience of being on the road and witnessing street racing, calling it a “scary” experience that he didn’t “want to be caught up in.”
“I’m hopeful that this legislation is strategically placed so that it will prevent some of those tragic accidents from happening, but also to prevent people from taking these types of risks in the middle of very public intersections and highways,” said Powell.
The House version of the bill is currently postponed for its third reading and has some slight differences in language compared to the Senate version.
What’s in the Senate bill?
Current Florida law says that any person involved in street racing is subject to a first degree misdemeanor, a fine between $500 and $1,000 and can have their license revoked for one year. That applies to anyone who acted as a driver, passenger or organizer; operated a motor vehicle for the purpose of filming the event; used their car to carry fuel for the purposes of fueling cars in the event or in some way impeded traffic.
The Senate bill would change the state law to define the term “coordinated street takeover” to mean 10 or more vehicles operated in an organized manner to take over a street.
Anyone who acts as an organizer or passenger in a racing event would face a misdemeanor, but there would be an increase in the fine limit to $2,000. For any other violators of the current racing law, the bill would change the criminal punishment to a third degree felony and would increase the fine to no less than $2,500 and no more than $4,000.
For a person who commits a second violation within five years from their first violation, current state law says they will be charged with a first degree misdemeanor, fined between $1,000 and $3,000 and would get their license revoked for 2 years.
The Senate bill would shorten the time between violations from five years to one year, change the criminal punishment to be a third-degree felony and would increase the fine limits to no less than $2,500 and no more than $4,000.
The Senate bill also increases the penalty for a third violation within five years after the date of a prior violation from a first degree misdemeanor to a second degree felony, and increases the fine from $2,000 to $5,000, to $3,500 to $7,500.
It also aims to add a new portion to the law that says if the prohibited activity blocks the path of an emergency vehicle, those involved in the event can be charged with a third-degree felony, and a second violation of this rule would result in a second-degree felony and a revoked license for four years.
It would also increase the fine for being a spectator at a prohibited activity from $65 to $400.
What’s in the House Bill?
The House version of the bill has some differing language from the Senate version.
Instead of increasing the penalty for a third violation of involvement in street racing activity from a first degree misdemeanor to second degree felony like the Senate version does, the House version changes it to a third degree felony.
The House version also has a smaller increase than the Senate version for the fine for spectators at a prohibited activity. It increases from $65 to $250.
It also doesn’t add a new definition for the term “coordinated street takeover.”
In order for the bills to make it to the governor’s desk they must first be the exact same. If the legislation is signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it would go into effect on July 1.
